Fungus invades 'frog paradise' in Central America

Chytridiomycosis, a devastating amphibian disease, has spread to Panama's Darien region, the last protected area in Central America. The chytrid fungus threatens efforts to rescue 20 critically endangered frog species there, including the national animal, the Panamanian golden frog (pictured above). Smithsonian researchers found the disease in 2 per cent of the 93 frogs tested.

The highly contagious disease has decimated numerous frog species worldwide, although some populations in Australia and the US appear to be making a comeback by evolving greater resistance. Within a span of five months, the fungus eradicated half of the frog species and 80 per cent of individuals at the El Cope nature reserve in western Panama.

Nearly one-third of the world's amphibians face extinction due to habitat loss, pollution and climate change with chytridiomycosis contributing to the extinction of 94 frog species since 1980. The Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project has established captive colonies of two harlequin frog species endemic to Darien should they vanish from the wild.

@Jason - our plans are to secure captive breeding populations of 20 of the 50 species we predict will go extinct in Panama. We have 2 harlequin frogs and a treefrog in sufficient numbers right now, we are working hard to find females of a third harlequin frog that has already undergone huge disease-related declines. We also have started collecting individuals of 3 undescribed species tht we think will go extinct, the major limiting factor is funding for infrastructure to house these beautiful creatures. You can follow our progress here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Panama-Amphibian-Rescue-and-Conservation-Project/192186590401 or on www.amphibianrescue.org